Battery tray



June 18, 1946. w. HOLMAN. ETAL 2,402,141

BATTERY TRAY Filed Nov. 24, 1943 INVENTOR WWW M MAM Patented June 18, 1946 BATTERY TRAY William Holman and Gustave. Holman,

Sheboygan, Wis.

Application November 24, 1943, Serial No. 511,639

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in battery trays.

The invention pertains to a type of tray par ticularly useful in the repair of battery installations where these have been destroyed through corrosion or otherwise.

Trays of the general order of that to which my invention pertains are well known in the art. In

the past-however, the supporting straps have usually been welded to the tray and sharply bent over the edge of the tray. It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive means of securing the straps to the tray Without a weld and in a manner which leaves them adjustable longitudinally of the tray where the adjustment is desired and in a manner which, moreover, leaves the straps free of the tray at all points near the margin thereof so that when the straps are opened up for use they will form an elastic bend which will not only tend to prevent crystallization of the strap but will provide a certain amount of elasticity in the battery support to relieve the battery of shock.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a tray embodying the present invention as it appears with the straps unfolded in position for use and the corresponding ends of the straps at one end of the tray already bent into engagement with a suitable support.

Figure 2 is a view in longitudinal. section through the tray showing the straps folded on the tray for shipment.

Figure 3 is a view showing in enlarged detail a fragmentary cross section transversely through one of the straps adjacent the means whereby it is clamped to the tray.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The tray 4 is of generally conventional size and shape but is provided at 5 with transverse strips punched downwardly from the plane of the tray and thereby separated from the tray along their side margins while remaining integrally connected with the tray at their ends.

The straps 6, instead of being welded to the tray adjacent the ends thereof, are passed beneath the bottom of the tray and between the tray bottom and the downwardly punched strips 5. These strips are then preferably lightly flattened under pressure toward the bottom of the tray to clampingly retain the straps 6 in frictional engagement with the tray bottom. Where a particular installation requires the straps at one end of the tray to be longer than those at the other end, it is possible to release the straps by prying or ha1nmering the strips 5 downwardly. When the straps have been pulled to the correct position respecting the tray, the strips 5 may again be flattened, if desired, to frictionally engage the straps to the tray.

For shipment, the ends of the straps are ordinarily folded flat over the surface of the tray, as indicated in Figure 2. For use, the straps will be opened up to the generally vertical position shown at the left in Figure 1 and the end thereof will then be bent as indicated at l in Figure 1 over the provided support 8. Where, as in the past, the straps have been welded or otherwise secured to the tray immediately adjacent the end margins of the tray, it was necessary that the straps have a substantially right angle bend over the end of the tray. In the present construction, because the points at which the straps are secured to the tray are remote from the end thereof, the straps, when lifted, tend to bend in a broad curve as indicated at 9 in Figure 1. This avoids any tendency to crystallize the metal of the straps and, at the same time, it provides a materially yieldable strap portion which relieves of shock the battery carried by such a tray.

We claim:

1. In a motor vehicle battery mounting of the type in which a battery supporting tray is suspended from a frame adjacent the top of the battery, the combination of a plate having, at points between its center and its respective ends, transverse strip portions free of the plate along their side margins and integrally connected therewith at their respective ends, said strip portions being intermediately ofiset below the plane of the plate, a flexible metal plate suspending strap having its central portions disposed between the plate and the offset strip portions, said offset strip portions being in pressure engagement with the strap, whereby to confine said strap to the plate in substantially parallel relation thereto, the ends of the strap being normally folded for shipment over the top of the plate in open looplike bends and adapted, when opened for use, to curve downwardly away from the end marginal portions of the plate and thence around its ends free from contact therewith toward an upwardly extending position normal to the plane of the plate.

2. In a battery mounting for a motor vehicle having a battery supporting frame, the combination of a plate having plural sets of paired transverse slits on opposite sides of its longitudinal center line, metal suspension straps, each having an intermediate portion extending underneath the plate on one side of its center line and over the portions thereof between the pairs of slits, said straps having downwardly and upwardly reversely curving loops around the end margins of 5 the plate, and hanger extensions substantially normal to the plate and adapted to be connected with said battery supporting frame, said end extensions being adapted to be folded over the plate for shipping or storage purposes, and over 1 the frame for hanger purposes.

3. A three-piece battery supporting tray assembly for motor driven vehicles, comprising a tray plate having pairs of transverse slits on oppo- 

